


Pretend...?

by ChocolateKid



Series: Tumblr Prompts [5]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Castiel Loves Dean Winchester, Cheating, Dean Winchester Loves Castiel, Dean gets jealous, Dean is a Sweetheart, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Hurt Dean, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Jealous Dean, Jealousy, Kissing, M/M, Mean Castiel, Misunderstandings, Needy Dean, Pining, Pining Dean, Possessive Dean, Prompt Fill, Sassy Balthazar, Tumblr Prompt, Weddings, but not really, cas asks balthazar to be his fake boyfriend, idk how angsty it is but it's kinda angsty, maybe a little comfort, only a little tho, that's it basically, unintentional tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-02
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2019-01-08 06:25:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12248799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChocolateKid/pseuds/ChocolateKid
Summary: Based on this Tumblr Prompt:"Pretend dating where I'm not the one pretend dating you and I'm gonna be super grumpy about it."





	Pretend...?

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> This is just something I couldn't help but write, even though I'm sure there must be a hundred similar stories up here. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy!

Dean was _livid_.

Backpack slumped over one shoulder, he hurried back to his dorm room, glaring at everyone standing in his way. He was aware that his bad mood wasn't their fault but that didn't stop Dean from being annoyed by their presence.

Again, that bastard's words echoed inside of his head. Who the hell did that guy even think he was? Bothering Dean throughout class, making him jealous by telling him-- telling him--

Dean couldn't even think about it.

Crossing the hallway in record time, Dean opened the door to the dorm room he shared with his best friend Castiel, making his presence known by slamming the door closed behind him.

He saw Castiel wincing on the bed in reaction, looking up from his book with a surprised expression on his face.

"Dean?" he asked.

The man in question came to a stop right in front of him.

" _Balthazar_? Seriously?" he asked, spitting out the hateful name. Castiel tilted his head, not giving anything away.

"What do you mean?" he asked back innocently.

"Don't act like you don't know, Cas! You asked _Balthazar_ to go to your cousin's wedding on Saturday?" he exclaimed, staring Castiel down. "You couldn't have asked _anyone_ else?" he insisted.

Castiel's eyes narrowed.

"Excuse me if I _offended_ you by asking him, Dean, but it seemed like the easiest solution to the whole boyfriend problem," he protested, sitting up straight. "My mother wanted me to bring a date and Balthazar just so happened to be the perfect choice. What was I supposed to do?"

"Perfect choice my ass! Everybody would be better than him," Dean said, fighting hard to keep his voice level. "I'm sure you have enough other friends who'd be more than willing to help you out!" _Like me, for example_ , was what went unsaid.

 _He_ was Castiel's best friend after all; if anyone had the right to play pretend-boyfriend for Castiel, it was Dean. Not some stupid douche called _Balthazar_. Dean still couldn't believe it.

It wasn't even as if Dean was jealous that Balthazar got to hold Castiel's hand for one whole evening and that he'd be known as 'Castiel's boyfriend' the entire time they'd spend there. It wasn't even as if Dean had had an undeniably strong, unrequited crush on Castiel ever since they met two years ago -- except it totally was.

"You're right," Castiel said, taking Dean by surprise, and looked to the left in fake contemplation. "I could've asked Gabriel, I guess. But if I wanted to impress my family, he probably wouldn't be the best choice," he decided.

Dean's heart shattered.

"Oh, but Balthazar will impress them?" he inquired, suppressing tears at the unfairness of it all.

"Well, I don't know, but he's got that British charm..." Castiel replied, smirking cockily, and Dean set his jaw in frustration. He didn't answer for a few seconds, until, "Why didn't you ask _me_?" he inquired, hating the way his voice broke at the end of his sentence. He hated sounding as vulnerable as he did right now, but it wasn't as if he could help it. Castiel had the power to destroy him with a single sentence and that wasn't even funny anymore.

Castiel sighed in defeat and looked up at Dean with sad eyes. Apparently even he had gotten the notion that Dean was genuinely hurt.

"Because my parents know you, Dean," he responded, genuine regret in his voice. "It would be weird to just... show up together all of a sudden."

 _Weird_ , it echoed in his head. _Weird._

And that was the sound of someone crushing the already broken pieces of his heart with a cowboy boot.

"We could've gotten together after time," Dean said weakly, knowing that his argument was pathetic. "You know what?" he added before Castiel could reply. "Forget it."

And with those words, he climbed into his own bed, burying himself under the covers.

Castiel didn't say another word.

* * *

The rest of the week passed as if nothing had happened. The fight from before hadn't been mentioned again, things returning to normal as soon as Dean had calmed down.

Castiel was used to Dean's inexplicable temper tantrums and even though he didn't know the reasons for most of them -mostly Dean's possessive tendencies-, he was a saint for putting up with them. It was a surprise Castiel hadn't figured out what was going on yet, but then again, maybe he _had_ figured it out and simply preferred to stay oblivious. Dean was high maintenance and he knew it; he certainly wouldn't blame Castiel for not wanting to deal with Dean's feelings.

So, the topic was left untouched for the most part and Dean managed not to think about it any longer.

It wasn't until Friday that the argument started all over again.

Dean and Castiel were having lunch in the college's cafeteria -they had surprisingly good food-, when Dean noticed his sworn arch enemy walking right up to them from afar.

"Hey babe," Balthazar greeted Castiel and threw his arms around his neck in an exaggerated manner, pressing his cheek against Castiel's. "How's the best boyfriend in the _world_?"

' _Fake_ boyfriend,' Dean wanted to correct him automatically, but kept quiet when he saw Balthazar winking at him. The bastard knew. What an asshole. Dean opted to silently glare at him instead.

"I'm well, Balthazar," Castiel replied, smiling slightly at his friend's enthusiastic greeting. "How are you?" he added.

"I'm _splendid_ , sweetheart," Balthazar announced, pressed his lips to Castiel's cheek with an obnoxious kissing noise and stole one of his fries. Then he said, "Well then, see ya later, Cassie-boy!" and left them alone again.

Dean's eyes were locked on Castiel's cheek in disbelief, right where Balthazar had just kissed Castiel. He had kissed him. That bastard had fucking _kissed_ him.

Dean felt like throwing up.

"Dean?" Castiel asked and Dean forced his attention away from his cheek. "Are you okay?"

The worry in Castiel's voice made Dean inexplicably angry.

"Of course," he replied defiantly. And then, because he simply couldn't leave it alone, he added, "It's just that I'd be a _way_ better boyfriend than Balthazar."

"Oh, would you now?" Castiel asked and smiled expectantly. "As far as I've seen, Balthazar has been good to me."

Dean shook his head vehemently. How could Castiel even think that?

"No way!" he protested. "He's a horrible boyfriend. He's obnoxious and pretentious and only cares about himself and -- look, he's already cheating on you!" he said frustratedly, turning Castiel's attention to where Balthazar was talking to a girl at the other end of the room, flirty grin on his face. "I'd _never_ do that to you," Dean promised sincerely, staring into Castiel's eyes.

"And Balthazar won't do that to me tomorrow, but because we're not dating at the moment, or _at all_ , he's free to do whatever he wants," Castiel said, ignoring Dean's heartfelt words.

"Still," Dean pouted. "I'd be an awesome boyfriend."

"Mm-hm," Castiel made non-committedly.

"It's true!" Dean exclaimed and his angry disappointment took over. He was the perfect boyfriend for Castiel, and he knew it! "I'd be a total sweetheart! I'd make you compliments all the time and I'd look at you with heart eyes whenever you're not looking and I'd never leave your side at parties, except if you wanted me to, and I'd tell everyone about how great you are and how awesome you are in bed, even if you weren't -even though I'm sure you are-, and I'd cuddle you to sleep every night and kiss your forehead and give you the best presents and I just." He halted to a stop. Castiel was looking at him with a somewhat amused expression on his face. Cas thought all this was funny... Dean's heart felt crushed once again. "I'd be a great boyfriend," he concluded quietly, looking away.

"You'd be a _needy_ boyfriend," was all Castiel said, laughing heartily. Every word he said shot Dean right into his heart.

"So?" Dean asked and crossed his arms in defense. "It's not a crime."

"No. It's not," Castiel agreed, smiling softly, something very close to affection in his eyes. Dean didn't know how to react to it all of a sudden, staring at Castiel with wonder in his eyes. Did that mean what he thought it did?

"So..." Dean started, hope evident in his voice. His emotions really were a rollercoaster when it came to Castiel. "Does that mean you changed your mind after all? You're taking me to the wedding?" he asked.

Castiel looked at him contemplatingly for a few seconds.

"Nope, still taking Balthazar," he then said, adding a wink afterwards.

And once again Dean felt like a train crashed into his side.

* * *

The next day, Dean was in a horrible mood. Castiel and Balthazar had left early for the wedding, having decided to help with the preparations, and Dean was left alone sulking in his dorm room. Sadly enough, Dean didn't have any plans for the day, meaning it was even harder not to think about what Castiel and Balthazar might be doing in the meantime. Had Balthazar kissed him on the lips yet? Would he? Were they holding hands and leaning into each other's sides? Were people telling them what a cute couple they were?

It was driving Dean crazy.

Desperately searching for a distraction, Dean even started working on his ten page essay for English Literature, and if _that_ wasn't cause for concern, then Dean didn't know.

The day passed, though, somehow, and after what felt like a lifetime, Dean was laying in his bed in his pajamas, the room dark, and he couldn't fall asleep for the life of him.

He wondered what Castiel was doing at the moment. Balthazar and him were spending the night, meaning they'd share a hotel room, just the two of them... What if Balthazar actually liked Castiel and confessed his feelings in the dark of the night, and then they had sex until morning? Dean could feel his heart clenching at the thought.

Dean knew he wasn't what Castiel wanted or needed, but did he really have to like someone like _Balthazar_? Anyone else would've been easier to deal with, anyone at all. Preferably Dean, of course... But that wasn't happening.

Pushing the depressing thoughts away, Dean pressed his eyes closed in an attempt to fall asleep. Needless to say, it didn't work. So, giving up, he sighed and opted to simply lay in bed with his eyes up to the ceiling.

That was when the door clicked open quietly.

What the hell?

Dean raised his head in confusion, staring at the dark silhouette entering the room, wondering who would possibly own a key to their dorm room apart from Castiel and himself. Before he could freak out though, he recognized the mess of hair on the other's head.

"Cas?" he asked, surprise in his voice, and the dark figure halted its movement.

"Sorry," Castiel's deep voice rumbled quietly. "I didn't mean to wake you," he added.

"You didn't," Dean assured him. He watched Castiel put away his overnight bag in silence and fought the urge to ask what was going on. Dean didn't know if he was allowed to do that though, so he stayed quiet instead.

When Castiel was done, he came to a stop in front of Dean's bed, looking down on Dean quietly. The moon lit up Castiel's face and he saw that he wore a thoughtful and somewhat soft expression, so Dean guessed nothing especially bad must've happened after all, and relaxed.

"Scoot over?" Castiel asked, smiling, taking Dean by surprise. They'd never really shared a bed, but they did lie next to each other every once in a while, just talking. That usually happened during the day though, not when it was the middle of the night and so dark you could barely see your hand in front of your eyes.

Still, Dean scooted over without question, watching as his best friend slipped under the covers beside him. They both got comfortable lying on their sides, facing each other, neither of them saying a word for several seconds.

Then, Dean couldn't leave it alone anymore. "What happened?" he asked, adding, "I thought you were gonna stay the night?"

Castiel smiled at him in amusement. "The wedding wasn't as exciting as I had hoped," he began. "In fact, I was dying for a chance to get the hell out of there. So when Balthazar hooked up with one of the bridesmaids halfway through, I took the chance to make a scene and left early," he explained, chuckling.

What the--? How did Castiel manage to be so calm about this? Balthazar had broken his trust and Castiel wasn't even mad at him? Dean couldn't believe Balthazar had the _audacity_ to do something like this!

"Wha-- why did he do that?" Dean stuttered, disbelieving and louder than he'd intended. "You asked him to help you out and he treated you like shit; what the hell? _Why_ would he do that to you?" he continued, anger taking over once again. It seemed like the only thing he was doing lately was get mad at people -- or one person in particular. He scrambled into a sitting position. "I'm gonna fucking kill that bastard," Dean promised, about to climb out of bed.

"Dean, stop it," Castiel said, holding him back by calmly laying a hand down on his knee and Dean deflated frustratedly.

"Why?" he demanded, slowly getting sick of the way Castiel was acting lately. "Why won't you let me defend you for once? Why won't you _ever_ let me do something nice for you?" he continued, watching as Castiel sat up himself, sighing in exasperation. Dean ignored it and kept talking before he could be interrupted. "I offer to grab us lunch, you get your own. I offer to deal with Balthazar, you say no. I offer to be your boyfriend for a day, you choose someone else! I don't get it, Cas. Why? I thought we were best friends at least, so why won't you let me do stuff for you?"

"Because it's too much, Dean!" Castiel exclaimed, effectively rendering Dean speechless for a second. "It's simply too much... You're always so kind to everyone and I don't want to take advantage of that, because you're important to me," he explained, sounding genuine.

"Oh, I see how it is," Dean laughed bitterly. His chest hurt all over again. "So you're _pitying_ me. You feel bad for the guy who's so desperately in love with you, so you don't wanna let me do things for you because you'd feel like you owe me. Well, news flash, Cas, even though you don't like me back doesn't mean I can't still be your best fucking friend!"

There was silence when Dean stopped talking to take a frustrated breath. Staring Castiel down with fury in his eyes, Dean noticed Castiel's mouth opening and closing, not a word leaving his lips. Now he appeared to be the one rendered speechless.

"At least have the decency to tell me I'm right, Cas," Dean said quietly, when the silence became too much for him. As much as it hurt, he needed the affirmation.

Castiel shook his head absent-mindedly. "You're... You're in love with me?" was all he said.

Dean looked away at that, not wanting to see Castiel's pitying face when he'd inevitably refuse him. "Of course I am, Cas. Everybody knows that... Even Balthazar did," he replied, annoyed.

" _I_ didn't," Castiel said. "Oh Dean..." he started, but Dean stopped his 'You're nice but we're better as friends' speech in his tracks.

"Don't, Cas, just leave it," he said. "I know you don't like me back, you don't have to go ahead and say it."

"But you're wrong, Dean! God, we're so stupid," he laughed out loud all of a sudden. Why was he laughing? Dean scowled at him, feeling hurt once again. "Oh Dean, if I had known, we wouldn't even be in this mess," Castiel said and Dean's scowl loosened into a confused frown. What was going on right now?

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean, we could've just gone as real boyfriends, Dean."

"Real-- Wait, does that mean you _do_ like me back?" Dean asked, eyes widening in surprise and hope.

"Yes, Dean, that's exactly what it means," Castiel said and smiled in a way Dean had never seen him smile before. Dean couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You... You want to be with me? Really?" Dean asked. "Even though I'm a needy boyfriend?" he added quietly, still not trusting the whole thing, but Castiel wiped away his worries by leaning over to press a gentle kiss to Dean's lips. Dean felt slightly dizzy when Castiel pulled away.

" _Especially_ because you're a needy boyfriend."

And Dean took him by his word.


End file.
